Progress in Research on Structural Ceramic Materials Toughened by Graphene

Graphene has excellent mechanical properties and unique physical/chemical properties,which make it have a good strengthening and toughening effect on structural ceramic materials.In recent years,it has received widespread attention and research.This article reviews the mixing and sintering processes in the preparation of graphene/ceramic com-posites,as well as the toughening mechanism of graphene on ceramic materials.It also looks forward to how to further enhance the toughening effect of graphene.

Toughening mechanism of lined Al_2O_3-ZrO_2 multiphaseceramics in SHS composite pipes

Hypoeutectic and hypereutectic Al2O3-ZrO2 multiphase ceramics-lined composite pipes were produced by using the gravitational separation self-propagate high-temperature synthesis （SHS） process. The microstructure of the ceramics was observed by means of SEM and EPMA. The fracture toughness of the multiphase ceramics was tested by using the Vickers indentation method. The fracture toughness of hypoeutectic Al2O3-ZrO2 multiphase ceramics is 15.96 MPa·m^1/2 and that of hypoeutectic Al2O3-ZrO2 multiphase ceramics is 15.23 MPa·m^1/2. The toughening mechanisms were systematically investigated by means of SEM and XRD. The results show that the bridging toughening mechanism, stress induced ZrO2 transformation toughening mechanism, and microcrack toughening mechanism are the predominant toughening mechanism.

SPECIAL EFFECT OF ULTRA-FINE RUBBER PARTICLES ON PLASTIC TOUGHENING

According to the present theories of plastic toughening, it is impossible to enhance the toughness, stiffness and/orheat resistance of plastics simultaneously by using rubber. A series of novel nano-rubber particles (UFPR) were introduced,which were prepared through irradiating common rubber lattices and spray drying them. Epoxies toughened with UFPRshowed a much better toughening effect than those with CTBN, and the heat resistance of epoxy was unexpectedly elevated.For polypropylene toughening, UFPR can improve the toughness, stiffness and heat resistance of PP simultaneously. Thesespecial toughening effects overcome the deficiencies in rubber toughening technology and are worth further investigating.

TOUGHENING OF POLYCARBONATE WITH PBA-PMMA CORE-SHELL PARTICLES

The miscibility,mechanical properties,morphology and toughening mechanism of PC/PBA-PMMA blends wereinvestigated.The dynamic mechanical results show that PC/PBA-PMMA blend has good miscibility and strong interfacialadhesion.The Izod impact strength of blend PC/PBA-PMMA with 4%(volume fraction)PBA-PMMA core-shell modifier is16 times higher than that of pure PC.The core-shell volume fraction and thickness of the PMMA shell have effect on thetoughness of PC/PBA-PMMA blends.As PMMA volume fraction increases,the toughness of PC/PBA-PMMA blendincreases,and reaches a maximum value at 30% volume fraction of PMMA or so.The tensile properties of PC/PBA-PMMAblend with a minimum amount of PBA-PMMA modifier show that brittle-tough transition has no significant variance incomparison with that of pure PC.The scanning electron microscopic(SEM)observation indicates that the tougheningmechanism of the blend with the pseudo-ductile matrix modified by small core-shell latex polymer particles is the synergeticeffect of cavitation and shear yielding of the matrix.

FRACTURAL PROCESS AND TOUGHENING MECHANISM OF LAMINATED CERAMIC COMPOSITES

Based on the model of multi-layer beam and the assumption of micro-inhomogeneity of material, the 3D fractural characteristics of laminated ceramic composites have been studied with numerical simulation. Under three-point bending load, crack initiation, coalescence, propagation, tuning off in the weak interface and final rupture have been simulated. The spatial distribution and evolution process of acoustic emission are also presented in the paper. The simulation verifies the primary mechanism of the weak interface inducing the crack to expand along there and absorbing the fractural energy. The disciplinary significance of the effect of strength and properties of material on the toughness and strength of laminated ceramic composites is, therefore, discussed in this paper.

Strength-Toughening Model of Eutectic Ceramic Composite with Inherent Defects

Strengthening and toughening mechanisms in composite ceramics is complex. A change in a single parameter induces multiple property variations. The multiple changes in properties are often incompletely represented in theoretical models. This incompleteness in the parameter chosen fails to explain the mechanism of failure in composite ceramics. The exponential toughness function is used to represent the pull-out toughening mechanism, which dominates the crack growth resistance curve（R-curve）. The strengthening-toughening model is established based on the Mori-Tanaka method（M-T method）. The influence of inherent defects on toughness function and strength is analyzed by using this model. The theoretical result is compared with the experiment data. This model exactly reflects the change in strength. The theoretical result indicates that defects change the toughness function. Moreover, micro-cracks increase toughness size ac, and the strength of crack instable extensions acutely decreases as defect content increases. This presented model establishes the relationship among the important mechanical parameters of defect, strength, elastic modulus, and the R-curve.

Microstructure-fracture toughness relationships and toughening mechanism of TC21 titanium alloy with lamellar microstructure

The independent influence of microstructural features on fracture toughness of TC21alloy with lamellar microstructure was investigated.Triple heat treatments were designed to obtain lamellar microstructures with different parameters,which were characterized by OM and SEM.The size and content ofαplates were mainly determined by cooling rate from singleβphase field and solution temperature in two-phase field;while the precipitation behavior of secondaryαplatelets was dominantly controlled by aging temperature in two-phase field.The content and thickness ofαplates and the thickness of secondaryαplatelets were important microstructural features influencing the fracture toughness.Both increasing the content ofαplates and thickeningαplates(or secondaryαplatelets)could enhance the fracture toughness of TC21alloy.Based on energy consumption by the plastic zone of crack tip inαplates,a toughening mechanism for titanium alloys was proposed.

Synergistically Toughening Effect of SiC Whiskers and Nanoparticles in Al_2O_3-based Composite Ceramic Cutting Tool Material

In recent decades, many additives with different characteristics have been applied to strengthen and toughen Al2O3-based ceramic cutting tool materials. Among them, SiC whiskers and SiC nanoparticles showed excellent performance in improving the material properties. While no attempts have been made to add SiC whiskers and SiC nanoparticles together into the ceramic matrix and the synergistically toughening effects of them have not been studied. An Al2O3-SiCw-SiC np advanced ceramic cutting tool material is fabricated by adding both one-dimensional SiC whiskers and zero-dimensional SiC nanoparticles into the Al2O3 matrix with an effective dispersing and mixing process. The composites with 25 vol% SiC whiskers and 25 vol% SiC nanoparticles alone are also investegated for comparison purposes. Results show that the Al2O3-SiCw-SiCnp composite with both 20 vo1% SiC whiskers and 5 vol% SiC nanoparticles additives have much improved mechanical properties. The flexural strength of Al2O3-SiCw-SiCnp is 730＋ 95 MPa and fracture toughness is 5.6 ± 0.6 MPa.m1/2. The toughening and strengthening mechanisms of SiC whiskers and nanoparticles are studied when they are added either individually or in combination. It is indicated that when SiC whiskers and nanoparticles are added together, the grains are further refined and homogenized, so that the microstructure and fracture mode ratio is modified. The SiC nanoparticles are found helpful to enhance the toughening effects of the SiC whiskers. The proposed research helps to enrich the types of ceramic cutting tool and is benefit to expand the application range of ceramic cutting tool.

TOUGHENING OF IN SITU SYNTHESIZED MoSi_2-SiC COMPOSITE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

The in situ synthesized MoSi2-SiC composite is proved to be of higher fracture toughness than the monolithic MoSi2. The TEM and HREM study reveals that the interface between MoSi2/SiC is of direct atomic bonding without any amorphous glassy phase, such the SiO2 structure. Based on the fractography and the observation of crack propagation path from indentation, it is concluded that the toughening of such composite at room temperature can be attributed to the high interfacial binding energy, the refinement of the MoSi2 matrix and the deflection and bridging behavior in the crack propagation.

Transformation toughening of Al_2O_3/ZrO_2 laminated ceramics with residual compressive stress

With the help of scanning electronic microscopy and X-ray diffraction, the relationships of microstructure characteristics, phase assemblage, and fracture micrograph of Al2O3/ZrO2 laminated ceramics were studied. Compared with monolithic Al2O3/ZrO2 ceramics, the existence of surface compressive stresses greatly restrained the growth of ZrO2 and Al2O3 grains at high sinter temperature, fined the grain size, and increased the content of metastable t-ZrO2, which made the fracture transformation energy quantity 70% higher than that of the monolithic ceramics. The trans-granular and inter-granular fracture features were observed in the surface and center layers, which further verified that transformation toughening is the main mechanism, whereas, micro-crack toughening is helpful for enhancing fracture toughness.

BRIDGING TOUGHENING OF EPOXY RESINS BY DISPERSED THERMOPLASTICS

The particulate toughening behaviour of epoxy resins modified by ductile thermoplastics is elucidated here by various bridging models. The experimental data for three different epoxy/PSF sys- tems are presented to illustrate the trend of the toughening characteristics. The conventional continuous bridging model is shown to have underestimated the effect of the particulate toughening. A joint appli- cation of the discrete bridging model and the multiple bridging model, however, shows promising result for modified epoxy systems such as AG80/DDS/PSF and E51/DDS/PSF. These models also provide quantitative descriptions for the crack pinning phenomenon previously observed by Fu and Sun in AG80/DDS/PSF.

A review of the strengthening–toughening behavior and mechanisms of advanced structural materials by multifield coupling treatment

The application of an external field is a promising method to control the microstructure of materials, leading to their improved performance. In the present paper, the strengthening and toughening behavior of some typical high-performance structural materials subjected to multifield coupling treatment, including electrostatic field, electro-pulse current, thermal field, and stress field, are reviewed in detail. In addition to the general observation that the plasticity of materials could be increased by multi-external fields, strength enhancement can be achieved by controlling atomic diffusion or phase transformations. The paper is not limited to the strengthening and toughening mechanisms of the multifield coupling effects on different types of structural materials but is intended to provide a generic method to improve both the strength and ductility of the materials. Finally, the prospects of the applications of multi-external fields have also been proposed based on current works.

Strengthening and Toughening Effect of Yttrium on Al_(2)O_(3)/TiCN Ceramic Tool Material

The strengthening and toughening effect of yttrium on an advanced Al2O3/TiCN ceramic tool material was studied by means of SEM 9 TEM and energy spectrum analysis. Results showed that yttrium can react with the impurity elements such as W, Fe, Cr, etc. Thus, the interfaces between ceramic phases are purified and the interfacial binding strength is increased. As a result, the mechanical properties of the AL2O3/TiCN ceramic tool material reinforced with yttrium are improved significantly. In addition, the effect of yttrium on particle strengthening of the solid solution TiCN may partly contribute to the improvement of the mechanical properties.

Study on Toughening Phenolic Foams in Phosphorus-Containing Tung Oil-Based Derivatives

Phenolic foams(PFs)as thermal insulation material with outstanding flame retardancy are required to match society’s ever-expanding safety expectations;however,a trade-off exists between flame retardancy and toughness.Here,for the first time,we synthesized a novel reactive phosphorus-containing tung-oil-based derivative and used it to toughen PF,resulting in PFs with a combination of excellent mechanical properties and flame retardancy.Compared with pure PF,the modified PFs exhibit enhanced mechanical properties,with specific compressive and flexural strengths as high as 5.67 MPa and 12.46 MPa,which represent increases of 90.67%and 178.7%over those of pure PF,respectively.Meanwhile,the limiting oxygen index(LOI)values of the modified PFs are improved as much as 40.83%.Scanning electron microscopy micrographs show that the microstructure of the modified PFs is better than that of pure PF,with a more uniform cell morphology,a narrower pore size distribution range,and a smaller average pore size,all of which are beneficial to the foam’s mechanical properties.This study provides a scientific paradigm for the development of advanced PFs based on renewable biological resources.

Erosion and Toughening Mechanisms of Electroless Ni-P-Nano-NiTi Composite Coatings on API X100 Steel under Single Particle Impact

The addition of superelastic NiTi to electroless Ni-P coating has been found to toughen the otherwise brittle coatings in static loading conditions, though its effect on erosion behaviour has not yet been explored. In the present study, spherical WC-Co erodent particles were used in single particle impact testing of Ni-P-nano-NiTi composite coatings on API X100 steel substrates at two average velocities—35 m/s and 52 m/s. Erosion tests were performed at impact angles of 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°. The effect of NiTi concentration in the coating was also examined. Through examination of the impact craters and material response at various impact conditions, it was found that the presence of superelastic NiTi in the brittle Ni-P matrix hindered the propagation of cracks and provided a barrier to crack growth. The following toughening mechanisms were identified: crack bridging and deflection, micro-cracking, and transformation toughening.

Effects of nano-SiO_2 on reinforcing and toughening polypropylene

SiO2 nano particle, through surface modification by silicane coupling agent KH-570, was successfully applied to make nano SiO2/PP composite material by the melt-out blending process with twin-screw extruder. Effects of nano SiO2on the reinforcing and toughening of PP were studied by analyzing the material impact broken fracture, the crystal structure and the diameter of SiO2nano particle using SEM, XRD and TEM, respectively. Results showed that the impact strength and the tensile strength of nano SiO2/PP composite material were improved apparently; the impact strength of PP was fracture was increased to 67% when the nano SiO2 content was 4%; while the nano SiO2 particle upon surface treatment will impose obvious heterogeneous nucleation function over PP crystal.

Review:Progress in Core-shell Rubber Particles for Efficiently Toughening Resins

Core-shell toughening particles are structured composite particles consisting of generally two different components, one at the center as a rubbery elastic core and surrounding by the second as a glassy inelastic shell. The design, preparation, and application of core-shell polymer particles have been briefly reviewed. Morphological characteristics of the core-shell particles by transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) are focused. The vital factors that are useful to control core-shell morphology and toughening properties including core-shell monomer species, polymerization conditions, cross-linking reagents, synthetic method, and post-processing techniques are analyzed. Distinguished properties are mainly considered as the most desirable features that endow core-shell polymer particles with various applicabilities, particularly as effectively toughening components in brittle epoxy resin and polylactide that are substrate of copper clad laminate widely used in the modern electronic world and environmentally friendly materials that are useful as packaging films, disposable tableware, biomedical equipment, and new energy vehicles.

Mechanism of toughening and strengthening of Si_3N_4/SiC/ZrO_2 nanocomposites

The Si3N4-based nanocomposites reinforced with micro ZrO2 and nano SiC particles were prepared by polarity dispersant and vacuum-sintering technology. The mechanical properties and microstructures were tested. The results show that appropriate amount of micro ZrO2 and nano SiC particles, not only enhance the microhardness, but also block the excessively growth of β-Si3N4 and β-Si3N4 grains, so they finally all grow up to uniformly pole-shaped grains. This process is similar to the strengthening and toughening mechanism of grain whiskers and makes a remarkable improvement on the toughness. Compared with Si3N4 ceramic, the toughness of Si3N4/SiC/ZrO2 nanocomposites are increased from 6.2 MPa·m1/2 to 11 MPa·m1/2.

Improving the Compatibility of Biodegradable Poly (Lactic Acid) Toughening with Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Compatibilized Meltblown Nonwoven

Poly (Lactic Acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer which originates from natural resources such as corn and starch, offering excellent strength, biodegradability, nevertheless its inherent brittleness and low impact resistance properties have limited its application. On the other hand, Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) has high toughness, durability and flexibility, which is one of the most potential alternatives for enhancing the flexibility and mechanical strength of Poly (Lactic Acid) (PLA) by blending it with a compatibilizer. With the aim to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of Poly (Lactic Acid) (PLA) meltblown nonwovens, The Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) was melt blended with Poly (Lactic Acid) (PLA) at the different corresponding proportions for toughening the Poly (Lactic Acid) and the corresponding PLA/TPU MBs (meltblown nonwovens) were also manufactured. Joncryl ADR 4400 is mixed into the PLA matrix during processing. It was found that Joncryl had a much higher chain extension that substantially increased the molecular weight of the PLA matrix. SEM study revealed that Joncryl ADR 4400 is a good compatibilizer. Moreover, in this study, the crystallization, thermal and rheological behaviors of the corresponding PLA and TPU blends were also investigated. PLA/TPU MBs were also characterized by morphology and mechanical properties. The rheological property of the PLA/TPU meltblown nonwoven revealed that the viscosity is increasing as the amount of TPU is increasing in the blend, PLA/TPU meltblown nonwovens exhibited excellent mechanical properties;they are soft, elastic, and have certain tensile strength. New materials have potential applications in the medical and agricultural fields. Joncryl ADR 4400 compatibilized blends showed higher strength than simple PLA/TPU blends at the same PLA/TPU ratio.

Effects of Trace Zinc on Toughening and Strengthening of Steels

Impact bend and static tensile comparison tests are carried out between zinc-containing steels and those without.Marked variation of each index is sophisticatedly observed.The results indicate that trace zinc can remarkably strengthen toughening and strengthening of cast and forged steel through quenching,tempering or air hardening.